Stark Tower

Template:Infobox comics location The Stark Tower Complex is a fictional high-rise building complex which appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA, the complex is named after its owner Tony Stark who is the alter ego of the superhero Iron Man. The structure is composed of a 93-story Main Tower flanked by a 35-story South Building and 55-story North Building. Located at the top of the Main Tower was the Watchtower of the superhero The Sentry, but it has been replaced by Heimdall's observatory. The Main Tower is informally known as Avengers Tower, as it serves as the headquarters of the superhero team, the Avengers, similar to the Avengers Mansion.

Fictional history

The Stark Tower Complex was built as a world-class financial and business facility to complement the Midtown Manhattan business district. The building was completed as a gleaming beacon of modern architecture after four years of excavation and construction. It is located in the vicinity of Manhattan's Columbus Circle approximately 10 blocks north of the Baxter Building, headquarters of the superhero team the Fantastic Four.

While initially intending to use the top three floors of the Main Tower as his state-of-the-art bachelor pad, Stark gave them over to the Avengers as their base of operations after their former base, Avengers Mansion, was destroyed. Longtime caretaker of the Avengers Mansion Edwin Jarvis was asked to resume his duties in the new location. Later, when the Sentry became a member of the Avengers, his long-hidden Watchtower appeared, integrating itself atop the Main Tower, fully integrated into the building's existing architecture. Serving as both Sentry's headquarters and as the private residences of Robert Reynolds and his wife Lindy, the 20-story watchtower is operated and maintained by CLOC (Centrally Located Organic Computer), a near-sentient computer of Sentry's own design. The lower levels of the Main Tower, along with both the South and North Buildings, are largely occupied with Stark's subsidiaries and non-profit organizations.

After the passing of the Superhuman Registration Act (SRA), Iron Man was tapped to head the task force charged with enforcing the Act. Subsequently, Stark Tower became the base of operations of the task force. The controversy surrounding the SRA broke the Avengers team apart leaving Tony Stark to form a new team, the Mighty Avengers, who continue to occupy the Main Tower's higher levels. When the Tower became the headquarters of the SRA task force, it was assigned by the government a squad of Cape-Killer guards with the call sign "Force Unit 9".

During the events of World War Hulk, a violent battle between The Hulk and Iron Man nearly caused the collapse of Stark Tower. The tower was rebuilt by Stark under his S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, making it S.H.I.E.L.D. property.

Stark Tower becomes the setting for a multi-issue conflict between humans and a murderous Skrull hunting them for sport. During the "Secret Invasion", many non-powered New York citizens, including Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich, end up at Stark Tower. Unfortunately, it had become the hunting ground for a Skrull. He is shown killing most of the members of a design firm that had rented space in the building. Ben Urich regains control of the security shutters and the Skrull is tricked into throwing itself out a high window. It dies on impact.

When Norman Osborn took over S.H.I.E.L.D., and renamed it H.A.M.M.E.R., he also took ownership of the tower. After Osborn is removed from power following the Siege of Asgard, the tower is returned to Stark. With the Sentry's death, his watch tower disappeared from the rooftopwhere it is replaced by Heimdall's observatory as sign of solidarity between Earth and Asgard.

During the events of the Fear Itself storyline, Thing acquired a hammer. This transformed him into a being with Asgardian-like power called Angir: Breaker of Souls. Red Hulk started to fight him to protect the innocents, but got batted away by Thing. Red Hulk survived though and to try and remedy it, Thing tossed his hammer through Avengers Tower, bringing it down onto Red Hulk.

A new Stark Tower (resembling the one seen in the live-action Avengers movie) was later built on the site of the original. The structure currently acts as the headquarters of the Avengers.

Other versions

Marvel Adventures

Stark Tower serves as the Avengers' base in Marvel Adventures: The Avengers. The roaster who live in it are Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Spider-Man. Giant Girl, Wolverine, and Storm.

In other media

Television

• Stark Tower appears in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, though it is only seen in a few episodes since the team is based out of the Avengers Mansion in the series. It is prominently featured in the episode "Alone Against AIM".

File:StarkTowerAvengers.jpg

Stark Tower in The Avengers movie

Film

• Stark Tower features as a location in The Avengers (2012). Recently constructed by Tony Stark, it is powered by its own independent arc reactor, capable of sustaining the tower for a year without any cost to the city, which results in Loki selecting the tower as the location where he uses the Tesseract to open a portal to draw his army to Earth, both for the practical reason of the arc reactor providing him with the power he needs and the symbolic meaning of his use of the tower satisfying his own ego and desire to taunt the Avengers. After the battle between Loki's forces and the Avengers trashes the upper levels of the tower- Loki throwing Stark out of a window before being shot by Iron Man and battling Thor before being beaten up by the Hulk- the only remaining letter of the 'STARK' that previously adorned the side of the tower is A as a nod to the Avengers. Tony and Pepper Potts are later seen with plans for revisions to Stark Tower, including a floor for each of the Avengers and an airpad. This version of Stark Tower was "built" in the place where the MetLife Building stands.

Video games

• Stark Tower is a base and level in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance video game. After the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier UNN Alpha is damaged by the attack of Dr. Doom's Masters of Evil, Tony Stark offers his property as a provisional base of operations. The heroes are based there up until the mission in the Valley of Spirits, after which they relocate to Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum to cope with the Masters of Evil's access to the magical knowledge of Baron Mordo and Loki. Later, towards the end of the game, the heroes return to a Doom-warped version of Stark Tower (dubbed "Doomstark" in the game), where the player must assist Nick Fury on fighting hordes of Iron Man-like drones sent by Doom, and prepare for the upcoming battle in Doom's Castle in Latveria. In a cutscene, Stark states that there are 40 stories in this version of the tower. Also, his lab complex becomes available for navigation after beating the Omega Base mission.
• Stark Tower is a full level in The Punisher. Frank Castle infiltrates it after learning that the Eternal Sun gang wants to steal some high technology from the tower. Iron Man appears after Punisher's departure, watching the huge mess the mafia and the vigilante caused.
• Stark Tower is also a landmark in The Incredible Hulk and can be destroyed. Within the game it is stated to be the second-tallest building on Manhattan, between Empire State Building and Chrysler Building.
• Stark Tower is featured in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows. It is minor at first in that the player can casually visit the spot. Later on, it is one of the most important areas in which the building is the safest possible area (besides Wilson Fisk Industries which is later on another safe zone) due to the symbiote invasion. During that time, Stark Tower serves as a rescue shelter and a temporary hospital. Black Widow and S.H.I.E.L.D. use Stark Tower as the safe zone of civilians and boot camp of S.H.I.E.L.D. Spider-Man could rescue civilians and place the civilians at the safe zone besides Security Domes. All S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, caravans, airships and un-infected civilians are located there. To ensure its safety, electric fences are barricaded there which could un-infect a symbiote creature. Black Widow tells about their safe zone and plan to Spider-Man and a released Tinkerer. At one part of the story, it is under attack by Zombie Symbiote and Slasher Symbiotes who try to open the barriers. Spider-Man helps defeat the Zombie Symbiotes while S.H.I.E.L.D. loads all the civilians into aircraft. One barrier opens, so Berserker Symbiotes attack and try to get into Stark Tower. Spider-Man calls in an air strike. The air strike eliminates the symbiotes and Stark Tower is safe once again. As in the main Comics, the Sentry's Watchtower is on top of the tower.
• Stark Tower appears in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 as the main hub during Act 1, and as the hub for Iron Man's Pro-Registration side during Act 2. Its layout is identical to how it appeared in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but does not allow entry into Iron Man's lab complex. Later in the game, it falls into The Fold's control after the heroes positioned there are defeated.

Toys

• Stark Tower features as a location in Marvel's VS System trading card game.

Bibliography

Mighty Avengers: Most Wanted Files - Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe one-shot (June 2007)